Pic Heavy 2016 Ride Report - 40 Days Following the Front Wheel

[DK Custom Products]

Day 6 continued-

It looks like we might be able to thread thru the rain.

That's looking even better...maybe just a few sprinkles...

...well, it was more than just a few sprinkles, but not bad at all before it cleared up.

A double rainbow off to the right.

Not clear skies ahead, but dry road and it does not look like rain....rofl

Whoa, where did this come from?

Last pic Mary took before tucking the camera away from the rain AND Hail!

Click this LINK to see a short video of a bit of the rain and hail we rode thru.

It was probably only 10-15 minutes...but it seems like a long time when visibility is limited and the hail is hitting your hands thru the light summer gloves. lol

Last pic Mary took of the day...camera battery was out, and we were too close to stop and change them out.

It was a great ride. Tomorrow we should see some snow!

Kevin

 

[55il]

Kevin, I don't think there is anything worse than hail or a sandstorm. But if we ride this is what the adventure gives us. Hope today is a dryer day. Be safe DJ

 

[desertclassic]

Looks like fun. We have serious straight roads, no green, lots of wind, sand and tumbleweeds. I can get bored real fast on stuff like that, so I take as many of the side roads as possible. If I am in a hurry, the big slab will get you there quickly. Ride safe and watch for those crazy tornadoes this time of the year. Jim

 

[Ed Hobgood]

Kevin, looks like you have a good start on your trip. Hope you can get some dry pavement under you. The last trip we made thru Colorado we got into hail also, covered the road but was gone quick. Ride safe and have fun!

 

[DK Custom Products]

Kevin, I don't think there is anything worse than hail or a sandstorm. But if we ride this is what the adventure gives us. Hope today is a dryer day. Be safe DJ

Yep, hail & sandstorms can be interesting...and hurt. Today was a dryer day. Thank you!

Looks like fun. We have serious straight roads, no green, lots of wind, sand and tumbleweeds. I can get bored real fast on stuff like that, so I take as many of the side roads as possible. If I am in a hurry, the big slab will get you there quickly. Ride safe and watch for those crazy tornadoes this time of the year.

Jim

Thank you!

Kevin, looks like you have a good start on your trip. Hope you can get some dry pavement under you. The last trip we made thru Colorado we got into hail also, covered the road but was gone quick. Ride safe and have fun!

Thank you, we will.

Kevin

 

[DblTrbl]

how did your paint job hold up in the hail?

Thank God for full face helmets!!

 

[DK Custom Products]

Day 7- Part I

Some of you may have read that I got some new technology that I thought would help me do my ride reports on the go, getting them done in a more timely manner....well, so far it has not worked out that way.

We'll see if I get the hang of it soon. In the meantime, this is Part I from today.

Traffic going thru Denver on the 70 this morning.

Breakfast on the go, from the backrest pocket!

A look at downtown Denver from the 70 at 65 mph.

Climbing out of Denver, up into the Rockies...

...wasn't long before we started seeing some snow.

Really fun road, with great views.

Mary was already getting the photo of the snow melt when I stuck my finger out to show it to her. lol

That is a whole lot of snow....and we're fixin to ride under it....

....in a really long tunnel. Over 1.5 miles long, it the highest tunnel in the world, at over 11,000 feet elevation.

And on the other side there is More Snow!

Will continue more of today's ride tomorrow.

Kevin

 

[DK Custom Products]

Day 7 to Moab, UT Continued-

Looking back at the snow we just traveled under!

And there's still more ahead.

I didn't know Mary had taken a picture of this sign....and I bet she didn't know I was wondering how fast cougars could run. hahaha

Beautiful Country....

....and nice, fun roads. We're headed down now, toward the high desert. Getting close to Fuzzys' stomping grounds.

Interesting layout they put together between the canyon walls...

....double-decker roads on one side of the river and the railroad on the other side.

We're in the High Desert now. It was in the low 70's in Denver, and the 50's crossing the Rockies, but it's in the low 90's here.

A ways after Grand Junction I exited 70 to get some gas...my shift lever was not where it was supposed to be. I was still able to shift enough (sort of) to get to the gas station.

Time for Another roadside repair! Wow. More in the last 2000 miles than the last 80,000!

If you've been reading some of my posts over the last year or so, you know I've been growing more and more dissatisfied with the "quality" of dealership warranty work in our area.

When I got this TG, new, the shift arm was loose on the shifter shaft. I took it in, they said the fixed it. When I went to pick it up it was just as loose.

They said it was the best they could do without replacing the shift arm. So I waited while they got a new shift arm. As you can tell by the photo below, they did not install it correctly. The bolt should not have been touching the splines, but it was and decided to start slipping. (btw, I am Not a stomper when I shift)

More in next post.

 

[DK Custom Products]

Day 7 Continued-

Since I was at a gas station in the desert, without a spare shifter shaft available, I removed the shift levers, re-installing them 180* from their original position. This gave me some good splines to tighten the shift arm onto...and I did it correctly, unlike the dealership. This should last a good bit, but over 50% of the splines are ruined, so I will be picking up a new shaft at my earliest possibility.

All better! Ready to Roll!

Back on the road, chewing up some miles.

Entering Utah...

....the speed limit in most of Colorado was 75, here it is 80, and most are doing 85. We settled in with the flow, and ate up a lot of straight desert road.

Of in the distance it looked like there was a bit of rain....

...but where we're traveling, well, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Getting close to Moab!

Arrived & checked in at the Virginian Motel. It is an older, but nicely maintained motel, our room has a small kitchenette. This will be our home base for a couple of days as we explore the Arches & Canyonlands National Parks...

...after unloading & changing, we head down the street to the grocery store to get fixins for meals for a few days.

Kevin

 

[DblTrbl]

Last year when I got my trike back, I was heading home and went to downshift and there was no lever. Luckily, I had the full Hannigan floor boards and the leaver, bolt and washer were laying on top of it. I was able to put it on hand tight which lasted the next 5 miles or so until I got home and ad a drop or two of blue locktite and hit it with an allen wrench.

Seems that service in a lot of areas is declining.

 

[DK Custom Products]

Last year when I got my trike back, I was heading home and went to downshift and there was no lever. Luckily, I had the full Hannigan floor boards and the leaver, bolt and washer were laying on top of it. I was able to put it on hand tight which lasted the next 5 miles or so until I got home and ad a drop or two of blue locktite and hit it with an allen wrench.

Seems that service in a lot of areas is declining.

That was most fortunate for you! The bolt did not come loose on ours. It was just 25k+ miles of vibration finally wore down the splines there the bolt was resting on them, because it was installed incorrectly.

Yep, very few mechanics left, mostly "techs", that for the most part don't understand what they are doing/why they are doing it...they just are doing what they were taught, without really understanding why/how things work.

---------


Day 8 Arches National Park-


The Arches National Park is only about 5 miles from our Motel. We went sans helmets. Lots of sunscreen, we did wear the mesh jackets. Keeping them wet is a lot cooler than being in the direct sun.

Here we are, let's see what there is to see!

Climbing into the park...

...fantastic views everywhere...

...I am posting up 20 pics of our day in Arches. They do not even scratch the surface of what all is there.


This is the "Delicate Arch".

We did not get that close. It was in the low 90's, so we limited our walking.


To give a perspective-

I don't remember if this arch had a name, but we decided to eat lunch here...

...it's a bit more than 1/2 mile walk from the road to this arch...

...looking up at it from our lunch spot in some shade.

More in next post.

 

[DK Custom Products]

Day 8 Continued-


Eating lunch in the shade below the Arch.

To give a perspective of how large everything is!

After eating, enjoying the cool breeze in the shade, messing around climbing on the rocks, we head back to the Tri-Glide.

It's a bit of a walk. It's been 6 years since 9 bones were broken in my right foot. After a couple of surgeries, even last year I could not walk this far. Though I am still in pain 24/7, it has gotten less in this last year.

Back at the TG, ready to ride some more.

Fantastic views everywhere....yes, that is snow on the mountaintops in the distance.

We rode thru "Windows". There are a bunch of arches in this section of the park.

The Tri-Glide has been running great. Been going really slow in 90+* temps and it is not getting hot at all. But it did develop a new sound, which is why we stopped here. Turned out to be the infamous gas cap cover rattle. Easily fixed.

"Balanced Rock"...that's gonna fall some day!

There were a ton more views in the Arches Park. We had a great time riding and seeing them all.


After leaving the park we took a road along the Colorado river for a few miles.

Great day of riding and seeing this park for the first time!




Kevin

 

[ol' school]

Wow Kevin! That is some purdy country you are drive through! Lovin' lookin' in on your thread!

 

[consitter]

Day 7 Continued




..after unloading & changing, we head down the street to the grocery store to get fixins for meals for a few days.

Kevin

Haha!! In this pic, you all look like me on Saturdays and Sundays. After work, I always stop at the grocery store and pick up stuff for meals for the day.

- - - Updated - - -

Last year when I got my trike back, I was heading home and went to downshift and there was no lever. Luckily, I had the full Hannigan floor boards and the leaver, bolt and washer were laying on top of it. I was able to put it on hand tight which lasted the next 5 miles or so until I got home and ad a drop or two of blue locktite and hit it with an allen wrench.

Seems that service in a lot of areas is declining.

My dealership is no exception. My horn doesn't work right and they are blaming it on my Wards fans. There is absolutely no connection between the two, except that they didn't follow the directions when they put my fans on--they didn't use the supplied longer bolts and spacers for the horn housing!!

When I got another set from Jason, I put them on and the horn still doesn't work correctly, so most likely it's a horn wiring issue, which I know nada about.

Sorry Kevin for derailing the thread, but at least it's bad service related, like one of your posts. Sorry you had to go through that kind of thing. Considering how much you know about bikes, they basically insulted your intelligence.

 

[DK Custom Products]

Wow Kevin! That is some purdy country you are drive through! Lovin' lookin' in on your thread!

Glad you're enjoying! This is a great country for riding in, a lot more to come.

Haha!! In this pic, you all look like me on Saturdays and Sundays. After work, I always stop at the grocery store and pick up stuff for meals for the day.

- - - Updated - - -



My dealership is no exception. My horn doesn't work right and they are blaming it on my Wards fans. There is absolutely no connection between the two, except that they didn't follow the directions when they put my fans on--they didn't use the supplied longer bolts and spacers for the horn housing!!

When I got another set from Jason, I put them on and the horn still doesn't work correctly, so most likely it's a horn wiring issue, which I know nada about.

Sorry Kevin for derailing the thread, but at least it's bad service related, like one of your posts. Sorry you had to go through that kind of thing. Considering how much you know about bikes, they basically insulted your intelligence.

Yep, can fit a lot of groceries in the trunk & TP. ThumbUp


Seems the last few year HD has changed their supplier for horns AND horn brackets. We've seen a huge increase in defective units the last couple of years.

Kevin

 

[DK Custom Products]

Day 9 Canyonlands National Park-




Leaving out from our home base in Moab. This has been a great place to stay.

A little past Arches and turn left...25 miles. We've not visited this park before.

We're not there yet...just barely started on the road there....

...the sights are amazing...

...and the road is a lot of fun too!

We're in the park now, headed for the "Grand View". This pic just shows a tiny section of a very winding (and fun) road.

Amazing views...

...must have distracted Mary some...she usually does not get very close the edge.

Words really can't describe how vast this place is....pictures do better, but still don't capture what it's really like.

Wow!

More in next post.

 

[consitter]

I didn't know Mary had taken a picture of this sign....and I bet she didn't know I was wondering how fast cougars could run. hahaha

Just wondering...did the sign flash "OH MY" after this?

 

[DK Custom Products]

Day 9 Continued-




This place is HUGE!

Mary & I at Green River Overlook

Photo Mary took from the edge of the road as we were riding

Photo taken from our picnic table, IN THE SHADE

We had pulled off the road somewhere to get some pics, it was a bit of an angle and drop off from the road. As we were leaving I said to Mary...I'm going to take a little video getting back on the asphalt...JUST FOR FUZZY!


Click HERE to watch it.










Another place we pulled over for the view...just remembered we can photo's with the video camera mounted on the bike.

We're outside the park now, headed back to Moab...

...Awesome riding....

...and views everywhere!

Kevin

 

[consitter]

This stuff is just great!! I'm living vicariously through you.

 

[DblTrbl]

Makes me admire the settlers who braved those areas in wagons and on horseback.

 

[Ed Hobgood]

Looks like you guys are having a great time. Keep in coming, I love going along with you.ThumbUpThumbUpThumbUp

 

[ol' school]

Awesome pics!!! Beautiful country to ride through!!!

 

[Gorilla]

You guys have a GREAT TIME. Nice ride

 

[desertclassic]

Years ago when I worked at White Sands Missile Range, I was involved in a few trips to Green River for some missile equipment testing. Beautiful country. Jim

 

[DK Custom Products]

This stuff is just great!! I'm living vicariously through you.

Glad you're enjoying...but I bet you're in air conditioning and now living some of the heat vicariously. :laugh:

Makes me admire the settlers who braved those areas in wagons and on horseback.

Yes, I have had that same thought more than a few times this trip!

Looks like you guys are having a great time. Keep in coming, I love going along with you.ThumbUpThumbUpThumbUp

Lots more to come!

Awesome pics!!! Beautiful country to ride through!!!

Thank you!

You guys have a GREAT TIME. Nice ride

Thank you, we will.

Years ago when I worked at White Sands Missile Range, I was involved in a few trips to Green River for some missile equipment testing. Beautiful country. Jim

Oh! Did you all make some of the craters we've been seeing?

Kevin

 

[consitter]

Glad you're enjoying...but I bet you're in air conditioning and now living some of the heat vicariously. :laugh:



Kevin

Yup. This is the ONLY way to travel in the high desert.

 

[DK Custom Products]

Day 10-


Having seen Arches and Canyonlands, we are now headed to Hatch, UT, which will be our base for going to Bryce and Zion.




Leaving Moab we saw this bike with some monster ape hangers!

Passing the Rock & Fossil shop that Mary spent about an hour in the other day.

We were soon back on the 70...

...we could have stayed on the 70 almost all the way to Hatch (which would have been faster), but opted for secondary roads which we believed would offer a bit more scenery.


We turned off onto the 24...

...and got a lot of the above!






A while back I discovered a new foot position, just to shift the weight a bit.

A different perspective. My calves on are the lower fairing, probably not doing the clear coat any favors, however, my butt and knees are happy for the change.

There were a few interesting sections...

...here we are cutting thru a corner of the Capitol Reef National Park.

We've never been in the Capitol Reef NP proper....

...but this little section was a welcome respite from the sections of road before and after it.

More in next post.

 

[DK Custom Products]

Day 10 Continued-




The last shot of our cut thru the corner of Capitol Reef.

We're now on the 62, it has a bit more variety than the 24, but there are long stretches of some pretty desolate land.

We did see another 3 wheeler.

Can't really tell by the pics, but it was warm...low 90's. This is the first shade we'd seen in over 100 miles.....a small park in a town. We stopped to have some sandwiches Mary had prepared.

Enjoying the nice cool grass before the last leg to Hatch.

Fast forward 80 miles or so and we are right near the Bryce Canyon National Park...about 14 miles north of Hatch.

5 years ago we had just happened to stop in Hatch at a motel. Struck up a conversation with Mike, the owner.


He had just bought another small motel and was in the early stages of making it a Biker Motel, along with a Cafe. He showed them both to us, and we told him the next time we came thru we would be staying there.


Well he got it done, and we are here. It is really well thought out.

Here is the room we are in...

...diamond plate accents, tool chest for a dresser, cleaning supplies for your ride...

...and every room has it's own theme!

If you are going to be visiting Bryce or Zion, or just want to stay in a cool motel, we highly recommend it! You can read his story at this link-


http://www.galaxyofhatch.com/our-story/



Kevin

 

[DblTrbl]

WOW, what a cool idea for a hotel. I'm guessing it's already a big hit...

Now about your "new" riding positions..... for you next long trip, I see you adding 20" pullback risers and just leaning back into Mary's lap and letting her steer....epper:epper:

 

[DK Custom Products]

WOW, what a cool idea for a hotel. I'm guessing it's already a big hit...

Now about your "new" riding positions..... for you next long trip, I see you adding 20" pullback risers and just leaning back into Mary's lap and letting her steer....epper:epper:

Yes, it is a very cool place to stay.

On riding positions...we've tried that...handlebars are not long enough...:laugh:, we have the TP relocated 3" further back.

Kevin